POKUŠAJI NEZAVISNE DRŽAVE HRVATSKE DA USPOSTAVI DIPLOMATSKE ODNOSE S TURSKOM (1941 - 1943)
ATTEMPTS OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROATIA TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH TURKEY (1941 - 1943)

Summary/Abstract: The ustasha's government made attempts at establishing official diplomatic relations with the neutral government of the Republic of Turkey in the period 1941 - 1943, while claiming confessional, historical and »blood« relations of a part of the quisling Independent State of Croatia. The aim of these attempts was to gain international verification (outside the »New European Order«) of the »independent state« status. The Germans welcomed and supported these attempts and efforts as their success would provide Germany with another channel by which they could exert pressure on the Turkish government to stoop over to the Axis powers. In order to establish relations with Turkey the Croatians undertook various actions such as „Moslem missions" and propaganda for the Croatian cause among the migrant Bosnian and Herzegovinian groups in Turkey. Ankara’s attitude toward quisling regimes created within the »New European Order« was guided by the Turkish continual stressing of its neutrality and by its refusal to establish neither diplomatic nor any other official relations which could be interpreted as a recognition of the state the Axis powers reached through conquests. A ll the ISC attempts came up against this same negative Turkish attitude. The Turks wished to maintain good relations with Great Britain which acted as tutor to the Yugoslav government in exile and with which Ankara still had formal relations as allies. The efforts of the Independent State of Croatia to win over the Turks through »Moslem missions« and other propaganda, lasted as long as the German domination over the fronts. The awareness that the ustasha’s regime was coming to an end made all further attempts useless.

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